Revenant
by Quatermass
Summary: An immortal Harry, cast through the Veil, ends up in Oxford over five decades into the past. Taken in by Charles Xavier and Raven, he falls for the shapeshifter. Now, in 1962, Harry must help Charles and Raven as they help the CIA investigate the sinister Sebastian Shaw...but as a man fixed on revenge gets involved, Harry and Raven have to wonder where their loyalties lie...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

This story is one that I've been mulling for a very long time. However, it had to wait until I watched _X-Men: First Class_. I just had this odd notion of pairing Harry with Mystique, particularly the Mystique from the new continuity, a Mystique who is more human, and less of a sexy minion of Magneto. This, I hope, will be a good fic, one that will cover an AU of the events of _First Class_ at least…

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _X-Men_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, dark themes and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _X-Men_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Magneto will force a coin through your brain…


	2. Chapter 1: Arrival

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **ARRIVAL**

 _January 5, 1959. Oxford. England…_

 _A trio of gargoyle-like insects sit hanging upon a mass of web-like strands strewn all over the hidden compartment. "The demons," whispers a rather scholarly-looking man, a military man in uniform by his side. Both are ill at ease, and both of them suddenly flinch as one of the insects drops down a bit suddenly with a crackling noise. "It's all right," the scholarly-looking man said. "They're dead. They've been dead a long time." Then, bombastic horns and string music starts up, the credits rolling over a final shot of one of the insects._

 _Watching the TV screen on which this all occurred are an interesting pair of people, in their early twenties. One of them is a handsome, dark-haired man with dark eyes that had a mischievous twinkle to them. The other is a woman, with red hair, a rather elegant body underneath a dressing gown…and blue, scaly skin and golden eyes._

 _Both were grimacing a little, but the man remarked, "Still, rather good story. And Professor Quatermass is interesting. A hero who relies on science and his mind to fight(_ _1)_ _."_

 _"Of course that'd appeal to you, Charles," the woman said, rolling her golden eyes. "Apart from using cheesy pick-up lines for women here. I swear, if you use that line about mutations again…"_

 _Whatever she was going to say was suddenly interrupted when the house they were staying in during their time in England shook, a loud bang echoing through the house. Then, through the ceiling of the room crashed a messy lump of meat that smashed into the floor, smearing blood all over the place. The occupants of the room leapt back with cries of surprise. "What the hell is that?" the woman demanded._

 _"I don't know…but it looks remarkably like a corpse, Raven," Charles remarked, shaken and perhaps a little stirred. He gingerly stepped over the mangled corpse, and then looked up through the hole in the ceiling at the sky. "It's like he dropped out of the sky."_

 _"Charles…look," Raven said, her voice tinged with an edge of disgust. And Charles looked down at the corpse…only to see the blood and flesh seem to flow back onto the body, the mangled ruin forming back together. Charles stepped away, and watched, both fascinated and disgusted as the body seemingly reformed._

 _What now remained was a young man, about their age, with a messy mop of black hair, from beneath which a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt zig-zagged. He was dressed in tattered robes, and a twisted pair of glasses was on his face. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, revealing emerald orbs, and he inhaled sharply. Then, after a moment, he looked at Charles and Raven, and gave a rather sheepish, if tired, smile as he got to his feet. "Sorry for dropping in unannounced." He then looked at Raven, who hadn't had the time or the lack of distraction to change into her habitual blonde disguise. "Huh. You're…blue. And scaly. Was it a Polyjuice Potion accident? Are you an alien?"_

 _Charles and Raven shot each other looks. However, it was Raven who responded. "No. Why did you crash through our roof? And how did you survive?"_

 _"I decided to skydive without a parachute," the intruder remarked sarcastically. "I have a knack of not dying when I'm supposed to. Hurts like a bitch, though." He took off the glasses, and murmured_ , "Reparo." _The glasses became more or less normal._

 _"Hmm," Charles said. "That was interesting. I don't suppose you could do the same to our ceiling?"_

 _The intruder sighed, before he waved a hand at the ceiling, and said the same word. The debris that had been brought down with him immediately leapt back into place. "Annnd I've probably broken the Statute of Secrecy. I find myself not giving a fuck. Especially not with the blue-skinned woman who probably has her own reasons to hide." He looked at the TV, and frowned. "Wait a moment…okay, this is going to sound like a very, VERY stupid question…but what year is this?"_

 _Charles and Raven looked at each other in understandable confusion, but decided to humour the intruder. "It's 1959," Charles said._

 _This provoked an outburst of laughter from the intruder, cracked and braying. "1959…over fifty years. I wonder if Padfoot's alive and well?" Something seemed to occur to him, and he said, "Crap, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Harry Potter." Then, his expression darkened as Charles put a couple of fingers to his head. "And I don't appreciate people rummaging around in my head. I've had bad experiences with that."_

 _"Sorry, I just…I just needed to be sure. You fell right into my house, and saw my sister Raven in her…default form. So…you think you're a wizard?"_

 _"I_ _ **know**_ _I am, and I said stop rummaging in my head." After a moment, he said, "Thank you. Now I won't use an Entrail Expelling Curse. Okay…so, given that you claim not to be a wizard, given how you treated my own claims…you're a psychic, right?"_

 _"Yes. I'm Charles Xavier," Charles said with a smile, despite the threat of an 'Entrail Expelling Curse', whatever that was. "And this is my sister Raven. You're not shocked or scared of her appearance?"_

 _"I've seen stranger and weirder things, especially on the internet. Gah, you don't have that yet. Well, be thankful. The porn online gets weird," Harry said._

 _On Raven's look, Charles said, "He believes himself to have travelled back in time, Raven. And he seemed genuinely intrigued by your true form. Still, why not show him your ability?"_

 _After a moment's contemplation, Raven nodded, and a wave of change, like blue spikes briefly poking out from her skin, she changed to her usual, blonde human form. Harry blinked. "Huh…so, you're a Metamorphmagus? Only, you look blue and scaly normally? Hey, that means you look like a sexy human chameleon by default!" He then winced, embarrassed at having let that slip._

 _And he wasn't the only one who was embarrassed. Charles was frowning, his protective instincts awoken slightly by Harry's comments. And Raven found herself blushing in embarrassment. But somewhere, deep within her, she found herself enjoying the compliment. He found her default form sexy? Admittedly, she hadn't really shown anyone that state before other than her brother, but still…it was a slight but noticeable boost to her confidence. And in a way, it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…_

* * *

 _Over three years later_ …

"Look at him," Harry muttered as he drank more from the glass. "On the pull, _again_. How do you cope with having such an oversexed adoptive brother?"

Raven snorted as she watched her brother use a pick-up line with some woman in the pub they were in, a woman with heterochromia, different coloured eyes. "Before we took our own relationship up a notch, it was either by being the third wheel, or with earplugs. Not that those always work. A telepath does sometimes lose control of their powers in the heat of the moment."

Harry snickered. "I don't know how he's got the time to consider sex and drinking, with the PhD he's working on. Still, with our own little testamurs, we can act as his research assistants. Better than you being a waitress, at least."

Raven nodded. "He's not a bad brother…but Charles sometimes doesn't truly think of the needs of other people, or at least individuals. It's nothing malicious, and he's nowhere as stupid as that old fart you told me about, Dumbledore or whatever his name was…but it's like the thought of me doing anything academic didn't occur to him."

"Well, remember the looks you got when we did our studies, especially when we took more courses than most," Harry said. "Even in our time, chauvinism is alive and well, just less present. Anyway, look at it this way, if you want, in a few years, you can become Doctor Raven Xavier…or is it Darkhölme?"

"I'd rather be a Xavier," Raven said. Harry knew that she was currently under a special charm based on a Disillusionment charm, designed to make her look like her habitual blonde human form, but without her having to use her powers. While she still used them as a means of practise, for more social occasions, when her control might slip, Harry used the charm.

Case in point, when he reached his hand over to touch her own, he felt the ridges of her reptilian skin, cool and soothing. Of course, the charm didn't allow other people to feel the reptilian nature of her skin, but as he was the one who cast it, it wasn't a problem. And there was the ring, of course.

"What about a Potter?" Harry asked with a wry smirk.

Raven laughed. "Don't take this the wrong way, Harry. But…I'm definitely keeping the name, even when we get married. Charles…he gave me a family. True, he needed to persuade his parents to take me in, but…I'm grateful for that. I was afraid to go to school, my parents tried to kill me…he was the first person to show me kindness in spite of all that."

Harry knew this already. They had once gotten to comparing childhoods while drunk (thankfully at home, as Raven had some trouble controlling her powers when drunk: she generally had soft drink when at a pub, and Harry, as a measure of solidarity, had the same most of the time), and Harry did win the 'shitty childhood game'. Though Raven had gone through quite a lot before she encountered Charles while trying to steal from the Xavier mansion in Westchester, New York. It was partly this that drew the two together. Charles, although he had his own share of problems from his powers and a few family issues, had a privileged childhood by comparison.

Harry sighed morosely to himself, thinking about how he got here, to a world where wizards and witches seemingly didn't exist (though Charles believed that the genes governing magic were similar to those that caused Charles and Raven's powers). Of the attack on the wedding between him and Ginny. Of reforming from the ashes, to find most of the Weasley family and many of his friends dead. Of learning he was the Master of Death, or more aptly, her lackey. Sending the remainder of his friends into hiding. Going on an onslaught throughout Magical Britain, wiping out entire lines in revenge, only to finally get caught by the Ministry. The attempts to have him Kissed, executed in any way, before the Minister decided to have him thrown through the Veil. And somehow, he ended up in another universe, five decades back in time. Charles and Raven took him in, helped him cope with what he went through.

And now, here he was. Engaged to a beautiful woman who had the power to perfectly emulate the appearance of anyone, even if picking up behaviours was tricky. And frankly, he actually liked her in her default, reptilian form. It took a bit of getting used to, but Harry realised, in retrospect, that his acceptance of her base form had done wonders for Raven's self-esteem and confidence. As loving as Charles was towards Raven, he was a bit clueless at times to what she really wanted, though that was partly because he had agreed not to read her mind without her permission. And partly because, well, he had a certain notion of Mutants blending in, and he thought Raven should get used to looking more like a normal human.

"Looks like he's managed to get her," Raven remarked, as Charles and his possible bedwarmer for the night began to have drinks. "Here's hoping he goes to her place, not ours, like we asked."

 _I heard that_ , Charles said, his voice echoing into their heads. _And yes, I will be allowing you two some privacy. I don't need to actively read your minds to know what you want to do. Just remember to keep it safe._

 _Pot, meet kettle, have we met?_ Harry snarked in his head. In any case, he stood, along with Raven, and the two headed back home…

* * *

As they got through the front door, Harry was singing a wordless song, an eerie song. After a moment, he groused, "I've still got to wait an entire year for _Doctor Who_ to start. I'm going to have to figure out a way to record them. If I ever go back home, I could give the missing episodes back to the Beeb(2). Hermione'd be jealous." His face fell. "If she's still alive."

"Hey…you killed the bastards who murdered your fiancée and her family," Raven said quietly, Harry removing the charm and her reptilian features showing once more. "Charles may not approve of your killing spree, but he at least understands why."

"Yeah…but…sorry, Raven. I didn't want to spoil the evening, and I did just that."

"No, no, you haven't." The red-haired, blue-skinned shapeshifter gently hugged him. "You accepted me for what I am, and I accepted you for what you are."

The two stood there like that, embracing, for some time. One, an immortal wizard, stuck in the past of another world. The other, a blue-skinned shapeshifter, an outcast from society, forced to hide. Two broken souls, finding solace in each other, unaware that events were soon about to come to a head, and bring them out onto the world stage…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, yeah. We've got a Master of Death Harry ending up in the** ** _X-Men_** **movieverse. And hooking up with Mystique. What else needs to be said?**

 **1\. My username does come from somewhere. The show Charles and Raven are watching on the TV is the end of the third episode of the third and, debatably, the best of the Quatermass serials,** ** _Quatermass and the Pit_** **. Given the themes of evolution and xenophobia that are present in that serial, along with the timing of when the serial was transmitted, I put this in as a cheeky nod. Oh, and the opening and closing theme? It's a piece of music by Trevor Duncan called** ** _Mutations_** **. How's that for serendipity?**

 **2\. As of writing, 97 episodes of** ** _Doctor Who_** **are missing from the Sixties run of the programme, though all are available as audio recordings thanks to fans. The reasons why are manifold and complicated (home video didn't exist, videotape was reused, there was a different attitude to TV at the time, repeats often required fees being paid, etc), but the sad truth is, there's a number of episodes and even whole stories missing.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Woman from the CIA

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **THE WOMAN FROM THE CIA**

Golden eyes flickered open reluctantly. Raven Xavier would have loved nothing more than to remain where she was, warm and content. While technically, despite having many reptilian attributes, she wasn't cold-blooded, she did have a habit of basking in warm areas when she could do so without being conspicuous. True, she didn't actually need to: her Mutant physiology allowed her to walk about naked even in an infamously cold English winter, but there was something that called within her to bask and luxuriate in warm contentment, both physical and emotional.

Her relationship with Harry was interesting, to say the least. Then again, when your lover was a probably-immortal wizard from the future of a parallel world where Mutants didn't exist, but mages did, well, it couldn't help but be interesting, even if it was only in the cursed sense of the word. It didn't hurt that, while a bit scrawny, he was pretty easy on the eyes and a good lover.

But no relationship could be built on appearances and sex alone, especially given her own appearance. True, she could look like a beautiful human if she wanted to, a human form of her own physiognomy (this was the blonde form she used as her go-to human disguise when she walked abroad, her face and physique looking like it would have had she been human-looking…and blonde), but few people were accepting of her true form. But Harry, after getting over the initial shock and confusion, had accepted her almost straight away. Hell, he had even blurted out in his then-unstable frame of mind that she was sexy in that form. He had _accepted_ her.

Maybe it was because he came from a time where normal humans were beginning to be a bit more accepting of differences. While wizards and witches still hid from the world, there was some better acceptance of differences in race, religion and sexuality. Not wholly: bigotry still existed. But one day, he pointed to Martin Luther King Jr on the TV, and said, " _He's admired in my time._ " He even mentioned that a black president called Barack Obama had been elected, and that governments worldwide had elected female heads of state, like Britain, Germany, and Australia. In a way, that gave Raven some small hope that Charles was right, that one day, Mutants like herself could be **_accepted_**.

Harry was reluctant to speak about the future, though. He did mention recently that something called the Cuban Missile Crisis was about due before long, but he admitted his knowledge of world history was fairly shaky, especially where exact dates and details were concerned (she was glad that the world wasn't consumed by nuclear holocaust by 2011, and the Cold War was over, although this 'War on Terror' he alluded to sounded ominous). And he seemed reluctant to change the future deliberately, just in case he made things worse when trying to make them better. Plus, he said that, if he told certain important people about possible assassins and the like, would they believe him, even if he told the truth? He'd be treated with suspicion or locked away.

Anyway, his acceptance of her, scales and all, was as important to her as that night when she broke into the Xavier mansion in Westchester, eighteen years ago now. He didn't care that she looked inhuman. True, he didn't want her to draw the wrong sort of attention by exposing her true form carelessly, but that was part of the reason why he used his abilities to change her appearance, so she didn't need to concentrate as much on maintaining a more human form. Oh, she still went out without the charm, partly to practise her shapeshifting abilities and partly because she didn't want to remain reliant on Harry's magic (not that Charles liked to call it that: he preferred Will-based Transmogrification Force(1)).

Harry stirred, and those emerald eyes flickered open, and gazed into her own. " _Hello, beautiful_ ," he hissed.

Ah, yes. For some weird reason, he could talk to snakes. And she could understand him, even respond in the same tongue. They used it as a private language when they were not out and about, as it'd look pretty strange for them to hiss at each other.

She replied, " _Hello yourself, handsome. No nightmares last night?_ "

" _No, thankfully._ " He ran his fingers through her hair gently, and she smiled with pleasure. " _You?_ "

" _No._ " She yawned, stretching like a cat, before sitting up reluctantly. In English, she said, "We'd better get up. Charles is doing that presentation for his doctorate today, and I want to be there for him. I mean, he was there for us when we graduated earlier this year."

She knew he was looking at her derriere. While he was pretty much a gentleman in most regards, he also liked to be playful, albeit towards her, and her only. "Fine, fine," he said with mock-irritation.

* * *

Doctor Charles Xavier, Harry thought. Well, he'd be a professor if he had somewhere to teach. Charles was looking very pleased with himself given the doctorate he had been awarded, especially when Harry and Raven applauded him.

Of course, Harry and Raven were less pleased when, that night, at their favourite pub, he was about to start drinking from a yard glass, to the delight of various students looking on. For someone who aspired to be the voice of Mutants, Charles was a bit of a wild guy. Not fully, he was no frat boy, but there was a hedonistic streak that never left him.

Harry couldn't exactly throw stones: there were times when he and Raven got blind drunk, albeit at home to avoid Raven having any accidents with her powers, and those…well, didn't end well. But still…Charles sometimes loved making an arse of himself.

He looked at the newspaper they had at the table. An article that had interested him stood out. There was apparently a man going around and killing people who were allegedly ex-Nazis, particularly those who had worked at Auschwitz-Birkenau. While he personally applauded this, given what he had gone through with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, there were rumours stated in these cases by the few witnesses that remained that the man had the ability to manipulate metal, as if he was a living magnet. Another Mutant, perhaps?

Charles had encountered one or two Mutants, aside from Raven, before, and he could tell that they were different, mentally. And each Mutant had different powers. There were rumours of a Russian assassin who looked like a devil, and who could teleport, and another who could conjure whirlwinds from his hands. There had even been a soldier who'd fought in the Second World War who, according to one account, could not only heal from virtually everything, but also extrude claws of bone from between his knuckles.

So, was this mystery Nazi-hunter a Mutant? And, given the targeting of those from Auschwitz, one of the many victims of that death camp? Something to keep in mind. Charles certainly thought so.

Then, his keen eyes noted someone watching Charles very closely as the newly-minted doctor was waiting for his yard glass. Not like the students and other occupants of the pub were, but rather, with intense scrutiny. "Raven," he said quietly, or as much as he could to carry over the noise. "The auburn-haired woman there. You ever see her before?"

Noticing his line of sight, Raven peered at the woman. Quite beautiful, but with a somewhat no-nonsense demeanour. "No. Who's she?"

"I dunno, but she's here for Charles," he said, casting a spell discreetly from under the table. "…Probably not an enemy, but certainly requires his help. Still…she has a gun."

"How do you know?"

"I just cast a detection spell. Mostly intent and weapon detection. Not wholly reliable, but still…"

And then, Charles started drinking from the yard glass. To the cheers and chants of those around him, including both Harry and Raven (Charles grateful for the hangover potions the former had given to him), he drained the yard glass, and whooped in triumph. He hugged Raven, and grinned at Harry, before saying, "I'm getting another drink. You want more?"

"Sure. Charles, just be careful of the woman with auburn hair. She wants something from you, and it's not a night of fun," Harry said quietly.

Charles, knowing Harry would only warn him this way if it was important, began making his way to the bar, only to be intercepted by the woman, who congratulated him on his presentation. "American," Harry said, noting the accent, as he and Raven got up to join Charles. He may get irritated at the two of them for being gooseberries, but they got the feeling that the woman was not here for a one-night stand.

The woman introduced herself as Moira MacTaggert, and asked to speak with Charles. Charles nodded, but gestured towards Harry and Raven. "Sorry, these two are my research assistants. My stepsister, Raven, and my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Harry Potter. And we have plenty of time for a pretty little bean with a mutated MC1R gene."

"It's his way of flirting," Raven said, rolling her eyes. "He means auburn hair."

"It's a mutation…a very groovy mutation," Charles said, smiling at Moira. "Mutation, after all, took us from single-celled organisms to **the** dominant form…"

Moira, however, had enough. "Sorry, but that sort of thing, while it may go over well with co-eds, is not what I'm here for. I'm here on business. I really need your help, and you're apparently a wunderkind when it comes to evolutionary genetics and human evolution. In your thesis presentation, you spoke of mutations changing the human race, potentially conferring new abilities. I need to know if that may already have happened, in people alive now."

Harry and Raven shared a look. Charles, meanwhile, did his mind-reading thing, hiding his distinctive gesture of placing a pair of fingers to his temple by making it seem like a casual gesture, as if leaning on his arm. His expression changed, becoming more perturbed and intrigued. His voice echoed in Harry and Raven's minds. _Harry, Raven…it seems that she has encountered a group of Mutants in Las Vegas while investigating someone called Sebastian Shaw at the Hellfire Club. I'll tell you more later_.

"Professor?" Moira asked, leaning forward. "…Maybe we should hold this off until you're sober. Do you have any time tomorrow?"

"Something tells me you already knew the answer to your question. About people with abilities," Charles said. As Moira considered this, he added, "This is important to me…to us. If we can help you, then we will do our utmost to do so…"

* * *

Sometime afterwards, the Xavier siblings and Harry were conferring in their house. "So…this woman is from the CIA?" Raven asked. "And she was investigating a man called Sebastian Shaw, who owns a club called the Hellfire Club, in Las Vegas. She infiltrated the club, and witnessed Shaw and his associates conferring with some US Army bigwig called Colonel Hendry, trying to coerce him into deploying Jupiter missiles in Turkey."

Charles nodded. "More than that. I can't be certain about Shaw or one of those accompanying him, but at least two of them appeared to be Mutants. One of them, a blonde woman, turned herself into diamond, and another had a rather devilish appearance and an ability to teleport, like the rumours we heard about a Russian assassin. The latter was apparently called Azazel by Shaw."

"Hey, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the CIA do spying overseas, not on American soil?" Harry asked. "Isn't that what the FBI does?"

"Apparently Shaw's activities in other countries had Director McCone taking command of the investigation," Charles said. "He's been to countries both within NATO and the Eastern Bloc. And in any case, Shaw was possibly brought to the US from Germany during Operation Paperclip(2). Though Ms MacTaggert isn't privy to exactly why the CIA was working on home soil, and I didn't dig that deeply. That being said, she wants us to come with her, to make a presentation to Director McCone to impress on him the severity of the potential threat of Shaw and his group. Apparently the head of the CIA's paranormal research department, Division X, will be there too."

"As long as we don't end up vivisected or shot, I'll play along," Raven said. "Do you think they'll need a demonstration?"

"Perhaps. But we shouldn't scare them too much, Raven." Charles then looked over at Harry. "And that means keeping pranks to a minimum, Harry, even if they react badly to what we are. Yes, I know you're not fond of governmental agencies. Neither am I. But given what you said about the upcoming events near Cuba, if one of us is manipulating events, then we need to stop them. And having the CIA's gratitude could be the in we need to help us gain acceptance."

"You're too much of an optimist, Charles, but I agree that we've got to look into this," Harry said. "Anyway, when do we head off to the US?"

"We'll talk to Ms MacTaggert fully tomorrow," Charles said. "But time is of the essence. I think we should start packing soon…"

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry, Raven and Charles have met Moira. Next chapter, meeting Erik.**

 **1\. This pseudo-scientific term for magic with a fun acronym was originally created for my** ** _Portal_** **crossover** ** _Is Your Great-Aunt an AI?!_** **, and used again in my** ** _Girl Genius_** **crossover** ** _Girl Genius' Animagus_** **.**

 **2\. This was an actual American operation to recruit or conscript German scientists and the like after World War II, regardless of whether or not they participated in any atrocities. Werner von Braun was perhaps the most famous of those brought to the US by Operation Paperclip.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Magnetic Man

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **THE MAGNETIC MAN**

As they rushed towards Florida, Harry reflected that the meeting with the CIA bigwigs didn't go as well as Charles had hoped. Charles was a bit like Dumbledore like that, filled with good intentions, though at least he was a bit more of a realist, or at least acted that way. Of course, the Director's attitude was bad enough, and then there was that arsehole Stryker. However, there was one CIA head honcho, a rather chubby one, who was more enthusiastic and nice to them. Even after Charles basically used mind control to get him into the car taking them to the airport, he was actually thrilled.

The man eventually introduced himself, rather embarrassedly, as Neville Singer(1). Not, Harry readily agreed with the man, a very authoritative name, though he reassured him by telling Singer that he knew a Neville who was one of the bravest people he'd ever known.

Not that that stopped Neville from being incinerated by Fiendfyre at the wedding, Harry reflected morosely. Sometimes, in his nightmares, he could hear the screams, the roar of the flames, the jeering laughter of the Death Eater remnant, the pain as he was consumed…only to wake up in the ashes of the Burrow and its grounds. Hermione, Luna, Dean, Fleur, Andromeda and Teddy, Arthur, Bill, they were the only ones to survive. And even that wasn't unscathed.

Revenge had only brought him small satisfaction at best. At worst, he felt hollow. Only the knowledge that he had removed such dangerous people from society gave him any kind of contentment as he was incarcerated, and eventually thrown through the Veil. That, and his friends had left Britain.

The guilt still haunted him, but three years with Charles and Raven had helped heal those wounds. Not completely, but they were both a major comfort to him.

As they took the plane to Miami, the Coast Guard being notified of the operation they were planning on, Harry looked around the plane. "It's very James Bond-y, isn't it?"

"Don't talk to me about that misogynistic crap," Moira said. "I mean, I'll go and watch that film they're bringing out soon, _Dr No_ or whatever it was, but those books? I know the President loves the books, but I don't. I didn't really like that TV play they did a while back with Barry Nelson and Peter Lorre, either(2). And the less said about what it does for spycraft, the better."

"This coming from the woman who stripped down to gain access to the Hellfire Club?" Charles asked, with a wry smirk. Moira had told them about what she had done.

Moira grimaced, but said, "A good agent is required to do many things to attain their goals. In any case, we managed to identify the other two who were with Shaw. Janos Quested was the dark-haired Hispanic man I saw, while the blonde woman was Emma Frost. We don't have much on the former, but the latter's family is famous in society circles in Massachusetts. What she was doing as a stripper in a place like the Hellfire Club, we had no idea…until now."

"I don't like the way Stryker looked at us, though," Raven said, crossing her arms. Harry had encouraged her, inside the plane, to show her true form, albeit clothed, and after the initial shock, Singer and Moira had gotten used to it.

"Stryker's one of the old guard of the CIA," Singer said. "He was with us back when the CIA was the OSS. And he was a major supporter of McCarthy. Don't get me wrong, you've gotta be looking out for Communists and keeping an eye on some people, but HUAC and the like went too far. Not many people like him anyway."

Harry smirked. "Which is why he will be getting some karma in the form of, well, the runs. I don't like the way McCone acted, but he wasn't that bad. Stryker, though…yeah, he's going to be glued to a toilet seat for a while."

"…And how did you manage that?" Moira demanded. "I didn't see you add anything to his water or anything."

"I'm practically a wizard. 'Nuff said," Harry said.

"Yes, Harry's mutation is…unique," Charles said. "It gives him a greater variety of abilities, mostly around what could be considered magic. However, while more versatile, it does have limitations, mostly that of power consumption. And he cannot use psychic or shapeshifting abilities, like myself or Raven."

"Charles and Raven are specialised, but I'm a jack of all trades," Harry said. "Anyway, what I'm worried about is what powers Shaw has. I mean, if the rest of his group are Mutants, then he's probably one himself."

"I don't think we'll be able to find out yet," Charles said. "However, to be the leader of a group of Mutants with potent powers…it would have to be a strong ability."

"Joy," Raven remarked.

* * *

And, of course, no plan survived contact with the enemy.

They were closing in on the yacht Shaw used in a Coast Guard vessel, a group of rubber dinghies sent out to board them. As the captain of the Coast Guard boat shouted over a megaphone for Shaw's yacht to stay where it was, Harry snarked, "Does that ever work?"

"More often than not," Singer said, as Charles pressed his fingers to his head.

Looking through binoculars, Harry spotted what was apparently Shaw. _Why the fuck does he look like Kevin Bacon?_ he thought to himself idly.

Charles grimaced, and said, "I've lost Shaw! Damn! There's something blocking me! This has never happened to me before."

"Happens to everyone, Charles. You know, performance anxiety," Harry snarked at the telepath. More seriously, he asked, "How did it happen?"

"I think there's someone like me, another psychic, on the ship," he said. "I think it was the Frost woman, I can feel her inside my mind. I'm very sorry, but I don't think I'll be as much help as I'd like to be tonight."

"I doubt Shaw's going to go quietly either," Raven said. "We don't know what he is capable of, or this Janos Quested. And Frost being a telepath…" She scowled as she peered through binoculars. "Wait…that's Quested going to the deck…oh God…"

Harry felt the same way as he peered through his own binoculars. Quested, a dark-haired Hispanic man in a grey suit, was summoning whirlwinds to his hands. "Fuck…CAPTAIN! GET THOSE MEN OUT OF THERE!"

It was too late. Quested hurled the whirlwinds, which became waterspouts as they hit the water, capsizing the rubber dinghies. Singer was about to hustle them below deck, even as the first waterspouts dissipated, when Charles flinched. "Over there!" he yelled, pointing to the bow of the yacht. "There's someone else out there, another Mutant!"

Harry and Raven used their binoculars, and they saw an anchor chain rise out of the water like the tentacles of an ancient kraken. Shaw and Frost, who were still on the deck, saw the chain coming, and rushed below deck as it tore through the ship.

"Holy shit," Harry breathed.

"I see him!" Raven yelled. "Near the bow! He's wearing dark clothing, probably a wetsuit!"

Harry did manage to spot the man. "Do you think he's friendly? Charles, is that the guy who was doing that with the anchor chain earlier?"

Charles nodded. "I can feel him, feel his rage. His name is Erik Lensherr. Wait…there's lights in the water."

"There's a goddamned submarine there," Raven said, scowling. "He's fitted a submarine under that yacht! Wait…he's being dragged along with it."

"Magnetism," Charles breathed. "That's how he manipulated the anchor chain. He's tethered himself to the sub as if he was roped to it. But…he'll drown." As loud as he could, he yelled, "LET GO!"

But the man, Erik, refused to heed him, and was soon dragged under the water, close to their ship. Harry gestured, and yelled, "ACCIO!"

As if he was a rocket, the man soared through the air with an undignified yell of surprise, only to land on the deck near Harry. Almost immediately, he surged to his feet, and made to run to the other side of the deck, only for Charles to intercept him. "Erik! You have to stop!"

"Let me go!" roared Erik, his voice having a faint German accent. He was a rather saturnine man with dark hair and haunted eyes. "I can still get him!"

"You'll get dragged underwater and drown!" Charles protested. "Erik, please! Calm your mind! I know what this means to you, but dying won't get you anywhere!"

Erik struggled and thrashed briefly, before he sagged, apparently realising what Charles was telling him. He then demanded, "Who are you? And how were you in my head?"

"I am Charles Xavier," Charles said. "And…well, you have your tricks, and I have mine. I'm like you. So is Harry and Raven."

Erik, after a moment, turned to Harry and Raven, staring at them. "…I thought I was alone," he rasped.

"Not by any means," Charles said.

* * *

"So…you're the guy who was doing the Nazi-hunting," Harry remarked. He and Raven were staying watching Erik in one of the cabins while Charles was discussing things with Singer and Moira. "I used to be in a similar line of work."

"You seem rather young to be involved in such work," Erik observed.

"I'm older than I look."

"Your eyes certainly agree with your claim," Erik said with a nod, before his gaze turned to Raven, who was in her default form, albeit clothed. "And you are Charles' adoptive sister. A shame you have to hide your true beauty from those others."

"People aren't yet ready to get used to people with blue skin and shapeshifting," Raven snarked. "MacTaggert and Singer are fine with it, but I'm being careful about who I show my true appearance to. But…Harry knows I am beautiful the way I am."

"And we're engaged, too," Harry said, showing off the ring. "So no flirting."

"Perish the thought," Erik said. "If you truly are happy with each other the way you both are, then I'm happy for you." A bitter chuckle wormed its way from the German's lips. "I find precious little to be happy about these days."

"So why were you after Shaw?" Harry asked, perhaps a little tactlessly.

"Shaw's just the name he goes by now," Erik said, spitting the name out as if it was poisonous to merely speak of it. "When I met him, he went by the name of Klaus Schmidt. A…'researcher' working at Auschwitz."

"…Jesus," Harry breathed. "Like Josef Mengele?"

"Nominally, Schmidt was one of Mengele's underlings, but in truth…I think he was an independent working for them. I don't want to discuss the matter, not of what happened there."

Raven nodded, shooting Harry a look. "We won't press."

"Please don't. That woman made me relive what happened," Erik said.

"Harry doesn't exactly have an off-switch. You'll probably be trying to throttle him before long," Raven said with a smirk. "The Mage with a Mouth, I sometimes call him."

* * *

Years in the future, a man in a red and black spandex suit sneezed, and scowled. "Hey, is some guy from another franchise stealing my healing and trolling schtick?" Deadpool groused. "Or is this just some attempt by the shitty fanfic author to put some humour in?"

* * *

"Yeah, but you love me regardless, Raven," Harry said, smirking back at his lover and fiancée. "Anyway, I'm guessing this is the part where we head to Division X while we figure out where the hell Shaw got to. By the way, Erik? Did you find out what his power was?"

"No. I know he is…like us," Erik said, hesitating to group Shaw with them. "But I don't know his power."

"Okay, so, we've got a telepath who can turn herself into diamond, a guy who can summon up whirlwinds, and a teleporter who looks like the Devil," Harry muttered. "And Shaw, we don't know what he can do and what he is planning. Great."

"He looked the same…no, a little older when he was at Auschwitz," Erik pointed out. "Perhaps his powers allow him to reverse his aging process?"

"Maybe," Raven mused. "But we found that our cells do have different structures to normal humans, so aging might be affected by that."

"We?"

"Raven and I may not be at Charles' level of academic studies, but we've both got degrees in biology," Harry said. "Specialising in cytology and genetics. Raven's not just a pretty face, and I'm not just a smartarse."

A faint smirk twitched at Erik's lips at the remark. Still, there was something about the Holocaust survivor that had Harry ill at ease. Probably because he recognised that rather dead expression. When he went on his rampage of revenge, that's what he saw in the mirror. And he knew that sort of path never ended well…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the gang's met the future Magneto. But can Harry, Charles and Raven divert his destiny?**

 **1\. I liked the character of the Man in the Black Suit, and after discussion with whitetigerwolf, I wanted to give him a vaguely embarrassing name on whitetigerwolf's suggestion. I chose Neville as a reference to, well, Neville Longbottom, obviously. Singer took some more work, but I chose that name partly as a tribute to Bryan Singer, the director of most of the** ** _X-Men_** **films (with the exceptions being, ironically enough, for** ** _First Class_** **, though he was one of those involved with the initial version of the story and co-produced it, as well as** ** _The Last Stand_** **). Plus, 'Neville Singer' does sound a little embarrassing, doesn't it? Don't feel bad about it, though, Nevilles of the world. One of my favourite writers is Nev Fountain, who has written for** ** _Dead Ringers_** **and** ** _Doctor Who_** **, as well as writing his own detective novel series called the Mervyn Stone Mysteries.**

 **2.** ** _Dr No_** **is yet to be released at the time of this story (though it is very soon), but a TV play of** ** _Casino Royale_** **starring Barry Nelson as the American agent 'Jimmy Bond' and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre had been transmitted back in 1954, as part of the** ** _Climax!_** **anthology series. JFK made his enjoyment of the novels well known, including** ** _From Russia With Love_** **as one of his top ten favourite novels in a list published by** ** _Life_** **magazine in January 1961. While Moira may be, understandably, unimpressed with some of the more chauvinistic (or even misogynistic) themes in the books, ironically, the makers of** ** _X-Men: First Class_** **actually deliberately took a leaf from the Bond films for the look of the film.**


	5. Chapter 4: Division X

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **DIVISION X**

They had to take more than one car back, and Harry and Raven were driven back from the airport to Division X in their own car. Raven had changed back to her blonde form, looking at Harry. "What do you think of him?"

"Erik? He's like me in many regards, though I didn't exactly go through Auschwitz," Harry said. "Voldemort probably wasn't far away from instituting death camps, though. Erik…I'm worried about him. I mean, it'd be hypocritical of me to tell him not to get revenge, given, well, what I did. But even so…I know better than most how self-destructive that is."

"Says the indestructible man," Raven snarked. "I mean, I have a decent healing factor, but yours is just ridiculous. Anyway…do you think he'll be a problem?"

"Well, I think it depends on who he'll be a problem to," Harry said. "Still, that magnetism power…scary shit. You saw what he did to that yacht of Shaw's with just an anchor chain. Even with a spell, I'm not sure I could do that, not with the chain."

"No, you'd have set the damn thing alight with Fiendfyre or blown it up with a Bombarda…if we didn't need Shaw alive to interrogate. But you think Erik will not be a problem to us?"

"Not directly, not if he stays with us, and that's Charles' problem. He's got to practise his rhetoric more than his pick-up lines if he wants to be the Martin Luther King of Mutants," Harry pointed out. "The problem is, Raven…whatever was done to Erik in Auschwitz, it can't have been good by default. I've never been there, and what I know about the place comes from books and documentaries, but what I've read is scary enough. The gas chambers, the crematoria, using the inmates as slave labour…and then there's what Mengele did. If Shaw was anything like Mengele…"

Raven shuddered. She had heard about Josef Mengele through newspapers, especially during the Nuremberg trials and after the capture, trial and execution of Adolf Eichmann. The Israeli authorities were apparently very keen to get their hands on Mengele. "So he'll probably leave as soon as he gets more information on Shaw. Unless Charles persuades him otherwise."

"Or brainwashes him," Harry snarked. It was a sort of running gag. Harry knew that, while he would willingly freeze someone's mind or compel them to do something in certain circumstances, Charles was actually better with the use of his powers than, well, most of Magical Britain (what with all the Memory Charms and the Imperius and all that). Harry still felt ill at ease with some of his usage, but as long as Charles used only corny genetics-related pick-up lines and not mind control to seduce women, Harry put up with it.

Raven rolled her eyes at Harry's snide comment. "He's very big on the whole 'free will' thing. Still…you and I know he's too optimistic at times. And he looks at the bigger picture. I don't think he sees the smaller details unless he's reminded. Do you know what I think when I see him with Erik? It's like he has a new pet project. On occasion, that's how I feel like, like a pet project to him." She shook her head. "I know Charles isn't quite like that. He's not uncaring, he's more…clueless at times. He loves me, I know that, even if it's only as a sister. But at times…"

"Yeah, I get you. Hey, at least you have me to pick up the slack," he said, putting a hand over her own. And she shot him a smile. He realised that, for a time when they first met, many of her smiles were as much a mask as her human form was. She smiled for appearances, and there were few times when she smiled genuinely. But now, she smiled more often, _truly_ smiled. And when she did so, regardless of whether she looked human or not, she was truly beautiful…

* * *

Harry had to admit, he was impressed by Division X. While it looked pretty conspicuous for a top secret facility, what with the radar dome and the rather ugly concrete buildings, it clearly had enough of a budget to warrant some pretty good facilities, and he said so to Singer. Singer looked a little embarrassed by it. "Well, while we are a joke in most parts of the CIA, Director McCone and previous directors do acknowledge the possibility of paranormal powers, if only as a potential threat. The Soviets are said to have similar divisions within the KGB and GRU."

"Given the rumours that Azazel was involved with the Russians, that's hardly surprising," Charles said as they walked through the facility. They were attracting some stares because Raven, on Harry's suggestion, had reverted to her base form, albeit clothed. That, and, well, Raven's blue-skinned appearance aside, they were a motley group. A female CIA agent given grief by chauvinistic superiors, the head of a division of the CIA that was generally considered a joke, an immortal British wizard, a German magnetic man, an American-born psychic with British roots, and a blue-skinned American shapeshifter. All that was needed was a line somewhere along the lines of walking into a bar.

"Still pretty empty," Harry said, looking around. "I haven't really seen anyone but a few engineers and a lot of guards. Is this because they think this place is a joke?"

Singer nodded, looking embarrassed. "That's why, well, I'm glad to meet you guys. I mean, it's vindication after all these years."

Charles smiled indulgently, and even Erik had a small smile. Clearly, Singer had made something of a good impression on the rather lugubrious German. It was spoiled when Harry, and the others, noticed a nearby guard talking to another, pointing at Raven with an expression of disgust. Harry immediately moved closer to Raven. Not that she needed protection, as she was actually a half-decent hand-to-hand fighter, but Harry knew she would want more psychological reassurance. He knew what it was like to be called a freak, and he didn't look as strange as Raven did in her natural form.

"There'll always be idiots and xenophobes," he said softly, waving a hand in the man's general direction, causing the man's trousers to fall down.

Charles blinked. "Huh…I didn't know they had Betty Boop boxers available." Turning to Harry, he said, "Was that wholly necessary?"

"The better question is, do I care? We're relying on these guys to assist and protect us, we don't need idiots who look at us as a freakshow. Besides, it's a warning. Namely, _don't fuck with us_. How did Tolkien put it? _Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger_. Only…I'm not subtle."

Those present either smirked or even chuckled, albeit quietly. And it would soon become a maxim at Division X. And just as well…

* * *

Meeting Dr Henry McCoy was interesting. While Charles was, in many regards, a genius, McCoy seemed to eclipse him, being an engineer and a biologist amongst other things. The earnest young man was pegged by Harry as a definite Ravenclaw. Graduating from Harvard at the age of 15 would definitely qualify him.

And then Charles had to go and out him as a Mutant. Harry and Raven both winced in irritation. Charles had stupidly made the assumption that McCoy had already revealed his status to Singer. And Harry knew that this was an era when those of different races and sexualities were still shat upon by society. If McCoy had been outed as gay by Charles, in all likelihood, he may have been shown the door…well, unless Singer was kind enough to hush it up. He looked like the sort. And poor McCoy was embarrassed too.

Luckily, Singer took it in his stride, as did Moira, and eventually, McCoy revealed his mutation, or part of it. He was a veritable genius, true, but he also had feet that were closer to hands, vaguely simian in nature and prehensile. He was also physically fit and agile, as he proved as he jumped, flipped, and hung onto the model of that plane by his feet, his upside down face grinning at Harry and Raven.

Still, it didn't stop Harry from chewing out Charles while Raven got acquainted with McCoy. And Charles, to his credit, accepted that he had messed up. Though he complained that, between Raven and Harry's rebukes, he was going to go prematurely bald.

* * *

He went back to find McCoy carefully extracting blood from Raven's arm. On Harry's look, McCoy explained why.

"Wow. You're that desperate for a cure, you're trying to derive it from my fiancée's blood?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For myself," McCoy said hastily. "And it's purely cosmetic, to get rid of…well, my feet. Not my intelligence. Raven made it clear that she is fine with herself, the way she looks now, and, well, I accept that." He smiled sheepishly. "You've got a lovely fiancée, Mr Potter."

"Harry, and you're welcome. But Dr McCoy…or should I call you Henry or Hank? I mean, it'd be confusing with two Harrys around."

The young scientist nodded. "Call me Hank."

"…You can do a lot with those feet of yours. They've been a part of you from the day you were born. I know you see them as a deformity, something to hide, and I understand that…but it isn't like deformity that you can correct with surgery. It's useful. I understand you wanting to cure it…just…think about it first. Oh, and if either of us can do anything to help, let us know. Both of us have qualifications in biology. We've got knowledge of cytology, genetics…"

Hank smiled. "Yes, Raven was telling me. We discussed Leonard Hayflick's theories on cell division limits(1). It's refreshing to have other people my age who even know a little about that. I'll probably have to talk to Doctor Xavier about higher level stuff, but…"

"It's good to find common ground," Erik said, walking nearby, smiling softly. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but not because of any malice. Rather, because there was a distance there. Erik didn't like being near other people, Harry felt, even fellow Mutants. Another commonality he had with Erik, at least how Harry had acted before being hurled through the Veil: he had deliberately distanced himself from his friends during his rampage of revenge. "I myself am a bit of a dilettante when it comes to cellular biology and genetics. I understand the basics and some more advanced concepts. Perhaps we engaged in such study for the same reasons. Knowing ourselves."

Harry chuckled bitterly. "Who can say for certain that they know themselves?" he asked. "Some things we are ignorant of…and others, we bury, deep in the darkness."

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" Raven asked, deepening her voice into a perfect imitation of Orson Welles. "The Shadow knows(2)!"

Raven had broken the ice at the right point, and the tense atmosphere dissolved into laughter. Not the best laughter, true, it was a bit forced, but genuine all the same. Eventually, as he put the vial of blood away, Hank said, "I'll have to go and talk to Doctor Xavier. If he is a telepath, I have an interesting bit of apparatus he'll want to see later. We've been refurbishing the old radar dome into something else. Something that we've been needing a telepath to use. Anyway, it's been nice meeting you guys. And Raven…I'm glad you've got someone who sees you as beautiful the way you are."

As he walked away, Erik shot them an appraising look, before walking off himself. "Poor bastard," Harry said. "And Charles outed him. How embarrassing."

"He sometimes doesn't think before speaking, you know this," Raven said. "I mean, we suffer from it one time or another, but you'd think my mind-reading brother would know when to shut up. He's lucky Singer and MacTaggert were fine with it. Remember how those morons looked at us upstairs. Not to mention that old bastard Stryker. You don't need to be Charles to know he was thinking of us as freaks when I showed off my abilities."

"Hence why I gave him the runs," Harry said with a smirk. "Anyway, Charles is a classic example of how you can be a genius, and yet lack all sorts of common sense. What about Hank?"

"He's more socially awkward than Charles. He probably needs a hug more often, given the way he feels about those feet of his. A bit blunt about asking me for my blood, but…I don't think he means any harm. Charles probably wouldn't have trusted him if he saw anything really objectionable in his head."

"Yeah, he's got to stop rifling in people's heads when he meets them. It's impolite to say the least."

Raven scoffed. "This coming from the guy who loves pissing people off?"

Harry shrugged. "One, my father was prankster royalty, so it's in the blood to piss people off. Two, I have a tendency to be hypocritical. I just admit it unlike most people."

Raven chuckled a little. "Well, come on. Let's see if this place has any decent food at the canteen…"

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, they've come to Division X, and have met Hank. But there's some discontent going on there, with Harry and Raven a little at odds with Charles. Oh dear.**

 **Review-answering time! A lot of you were asking whether I was going to turn Magneto into a good guy. I'll be honest, I'm not really planning on doing so. My main objective was to have Raven, who was a more complex character in the new continuity, be prevented from making her face-heel turn. Harry, unfortunately, is going to get more and more suspicious of Erik as time goes by, and by the time Shaw's attack is made on Division X and they have to move to Xavier's mansion, Harry is beginning to suspect that Erik is basically a Mutant Voldemort in the making. And while he will try to dissuade Erik from that path, he's also got a feeling that he may have to kill Erik, rather than allow another Voldemort to arise, so Harry's got a bit of a dilemma going, sort of like the Fourth Doctor's 'if I touch these two wires' scene from** ** _Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks_** **.**

 **That being said, while some of you might be disappointed that I am not redeeming Erik, I think the next chapter, and a certain character it introduces, will make up for it. Hopefully.**

 **myafroatemydog** **: Because Harry and Mystique will, eventually, form their own faction, the events of** ** _Days of Future Past_** **won't happen. I'll have a few things happen, true, but Mystique won't be attacking Bolivar Trask, if only because Harry and Raven will be more proactive in saving Mutants and exposing Trask's misdeeds, rather than trying to outright assassinate him. I'm torn between doing the events of** ** _Apocalypse_** **as part of a sequel, or else as part of this story after a timeskip. That being said, Nightcrawler will be Raven and Harry's kid…and yes, he will be pretty much like he is in canon. Just chalk it up to weird DNA interaction.**

 **Jonn Wolfe** **: I'm crap at writing romance, or rather, it takes something of an effort. I prefer to have some or all of it pre-established prior to the story proper beginning.**

 **Zeuseus** **: I found out about both on special features on the James Bond film DVDs. In fact, I think both are mentioned in the documentary on the making of** ** _Dr No_** **. Or maybe the JFK liking the original novel of** ** _From Russia with Love_** **was from a documentary on that film. Can't remember. Little bit of trivia: those two books were filmed in reverse order. In fact, Bond nearly dying of poison at the end of** ** _From Russia with Love_** **(the book: he avoids Rosa Klebb's attack in the film) is the reason for M's scolding about the Beretta pistol and the replacement with the Walter PPK in** ** _Dr No_** **(the book, though the scene made it into the film, more or less).**

 **DZ2** **: I'm glad you enjoyed this. Given your obsession with** ** _X-Men_** **, and the** ** _First Class_** **lines on your profile, I thought you'd be around to have a look-see before long. Thanks for the encouragement.**

 **Jostanos** **: Hmm…well, you'll see in the next chapter. ;)**

 **tamagat** **: As they were living in Oxford at the time, that's a no.**

 **1\. This concept was first posited by Hayflick in 1961, but it wouldn't become known as the Hayflick Limit until an Australian scientist, Macfarlane Burnet, coined the term in 1974. Basically, the Hayflick Limit limits how many times cells can divide until they stop dividing.**

 **2\. Raven is, of course, referring to the radio drama version of** ** _The Shadow_** **, which originally starred Orson Welles. While she may have been too young to hear the original broadcast (her canon birth year for the films is 1934), the serials were recorded and I wouldn't be surprised if they had been repeated.**


	6. Chapter 5: Recruitment Drive

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **RECRUITMENT DRIVE**

Harry would later learn that Erik had all but decided to leave in the middle of the night, and Charles had persuaded him, thankfully without using his powers, to stay. Harry felt ambivalent: he sympathised with Erik, given what happened to him, and understood the rage and desire for revenge. Plus, having such a powerful Mutant on their side was better than having him as either an enemy, or a spanner in the works.

But something had Harry wary of Erik. It was the way he used certain words when referring to non-Mutants, the way he looked at the other people present with something…undefinable, but still dark. Like those who weren't Mutants were not people in his eyes. Charles may be occasionally patronising when talking of normal humans, and his thesis discussed the problems of what happened when new hominid species encountered each other (using humans and Neanderthals as a prime example), but Charles also wanted normal humans and Mutants to co-exist. While Harry felt that Charles was too much of an optimist as to the means, the end goal was something he could get behind.

Research into Harry's biology, done discreetly by the members of the Xavier household (well, the two Mutants and the wizard, anyway), showed that the genes, according to Charles, that governed magic were amongst those that governed Mutant abilities. Not the X-Gene per se, but certainly the genes that determined specific abilities. That suggested that Mutants were basically this world's mages.

As far as Charles was concerned, the reason that Mutants were having a resurgence (presumably they were behind legends of wizards and witches in this world) was due to the advent of the nuclear age. Radioactive contaminants were all across the world thanks to the development of the nuclear bomb and the nuclear reactor, and while the mutations they caused normally were either harmful or unnoticeable, at least some triggered more Mutants to be born.

Erik…seemed more cynical about it, and not in a good way. Harry was cynical about these things, true, but not as dour as the German Mutant. And while he was being nice to Harry and the others, normal people were another matter.

As they crossed the grounds towards the modified radar tower, Erik pulled Harry aside. "Charles…he said that you are…not a Mutant, at least not in the terms of this world. That you claim to be able to use magic, and that you are from another world, another time."

"Well…it'd be magic to most. I don't think anyone back in my world tried to do any scientific investigation of it. Why?"

"Curiosity," Erik said. "He also claimed that you are immortal."

"Well, I've been killed about a dozen times now. I haven't stayed dead," Harry said offhandedly. Not that he actually _liked_ dying. Oh, Death herself was nice to look at, looking more like a beautiful, buxom redhead with a chipper demeanour than the whole skeleton with robes and scythe deal of the Grim Reaper, but still…it was unpleasant. Especially knowing he might outlive any spouses. In fact, it was only because Charles had isolated some cytological signatures that suggested that Raven may age far slower than most humans that Harry had finally given in to his feelings for her. That, and a few hints from Death that she might make his spouse immortal…though she didn't say this until _after_ Harry and Raven got engaged.

"I see." Then, after a moment, he said, "He told me you went through much suffering. He didn't tell me the details, just that I should ask you myself once we've gotten to know each other better. Just know that if you want to talk to me about it, I will listen."

"I've been through some shit, but I doubt it would have been quite as bad as Auschwitz," Harry said.

"True, but there are degrees of suffering. And your eyes say that you have suffered much," Erik said.

"Well, let me put it this way, Erik. The best you're going to feel when you take your revenge…is relief. You're not going to feel joy or triumph. In all likelihood, you'll feel hollow. Take it from me. I speak from experience…"

* * *

He had to admit, the set-up Hank had created in the radar dome was impressive, at least by the standards of the Sixties. Banks of computers and other apparatus, a console, and a platform ringed by railings over which a transparent helmet festooned with wires hung. Hank had called it 'Cerebro', and explained that it was a kind of massive telepathic amplifier. Not only that, but the accompanying computer systems could help locate where the Mutants were that Charles found by giving coordinates.

What Charles and Erik had agreed to do was to find a group of Mutants to recruit into Division X as a counter to Shaw's own group. While they had Hank, Raven and Harry, not to mention Charles and Erik themselves, they also wanted to recruit (not conscript) like-minded individuals into Division X. Charles and Erik had agreed that they would approach the Mutants they found, rather than the CIA proper.

Charles hooked up the helmet, Erik made a facetious remark about Charles being a lab rat, and then, Hank activated it. The helmet lit up, and Charles' mouth opened in what could have been a scream of pain or a whoop of elation, it was hard to tell. At least at first. After a point, though, he seemed to be in awe, enjoying the sensation this Cerebro device gave him of searching out Mutants.

And then, the pages began printing out, each with coordinates. Sometime later, once Charles was finished, he took the printout and immediately began crossing some out. "Now, for the sake of this, we're excluding people below a certain age," he said as he crossed out some sets of coordinates, and then began writing names near others. "At least for what we have in mind."

Raven frowned. "…Angel Salvadore, James Howlett, Armando Muñoz…" she read off the list.

"Howlett's an interesting one," Charles said as he continued annotating the list. "He seems to be a veteran of not only both World Wars, but the Civil War."

"He's over a hundred years old?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he has a healing factor like yourself and Raven, only much stronger, not to mention bone claws," Charles said. "I only caught glimpses, though. I tried not to linger like the voyeur you claim me to be."

"We don't _claim_ anything, Charles," Harry said. "As long as both parties are consenting, you enjoy watching them bang."

" _I do_ _ **not!**_ " Charles protested, with Hank looking embarrassed, and Erik chuckling, despite his dourness. "Don't you know how boring thoughts of sex get after a while? Why do you think I go out on the pull? I'd prefer to have a real experience instead of looking in like a Peeping bloody Tom!" He shuddered. "And that's without going into the thoughts of…rapists and child molesters. When I was young, I read the mind of a friend of the family's. This was just after I met Raven." He shuddered again. "Can you imagine what that is like for a child of ten to hear that in someone's mind? That he desired my sister, who wasn't even a teenager?"

Raven grimaced. "I didn't need reminding of that, Charles. That's probably the one time I'm glad you flayed someone's mind and made it seem like he had a stroke."

"It was the _only_ time I've done that," Charles said, shooting Raven a look. "And frankly, I did not like how much I enjoyed doing it."

"So you have a darker side to you after all, Charles," Erik said.

"I don't enjoy indulging it," Charles said. "I did it to protect my sister." He finished making his annotations. "Hmm…there's quite a few. Harry, Raven…if I give you a couple of names, would you be so kind as to try to recruit them?"

* * *

Harry and Raven had been given two names to recruit. Sean Cassidy was the easy one, a rather weedy young man with red hair and freckles who reminded Harry of Ron a little, rather heartbreakingly. Cassidy, apparently, had the ability to project soundwaves from his mouth, and not just, well, by talking. He could project a sound blast capable of knocking people out or breaking glass.

Howlett, given what Charles had said, was going to be the hard one. They tracked him down to a bar in the Rockies. Harry had to admit, he wondered why the man looked a bit like a feral, grizzled Hugh Jackman smoking a cigar, but he sat down next to him, Raven sitting on Harry's other side. They didn't want Howlett to get spooked or become aggressive by feeling boxed in…well, beyond probably telling them to go fuck themselves.

Harry made an order for himself and Raven, before ordering another of whatever Howlett was having. After a moment, Howlett shot Harry a suspicious look, before remarking, in a Canadian accent, "And why're you buying my drinks, kid?"

"Courtesy. My fiancée and I have a proposal, and I thought you'd look upon it more favourably if you had an extra drink," Harry said, carefully setting up Privacy Charms around the man, along with himself and Raven.

Howlett seemed to sniff them briefly, before frowning. "What sort of proposal? You sound British, so I doubt you're with the government."

"Technically, we are, albeit at one remove. Do you want to hear us out?"

"…I want your names first."

"Right. I'm Harry Potter. This lovely lady is my fiancée, Raven Xavier. And your name is James Howlett."

Howlett scowled. He was suspicious before, but now, he seemed even more so. "…I haven't gone by that name for years. So, I want to know, how the hell you guys know that name?"

"My future brother-in-law is a psychic voyeur and a near-perpetual optimist," Harry said with a shrug as they were given their drinks. "If he came up to you, I guessed he wouldn't have had enough time to do more than introduce himself before you told him to fuck off."

Raven snorted, and a faint smile touched Howlett's lips. "Psychic? Are you kidding me?"

Raven shook her head. "No. Now, there's no catch. Should you refuse, we'll go on our way and leave you alone. My brother, Charles, he said that he won't bother you himself if you refuse. We can't guarantee the government will do the same, but we're only working for them, not under them."

After a moment's thought, Howlett nodded. "Right. I'll hear you two out. Don't expect me to say yes, though…"

* * *

Howlett nodded as they finished their tale, doing so at a table rather than at the bar proper. "So…you got this guy Shaw running around with other Mutants, and some part of the CIA is working with this guy Xavier to deal with him? And Xavier thought I'd make a fine addition to this team he's putting together?"

"Yeah. I mean, I understand if you don't want to join," Harry said. "You've probably seen enough action during your life."

"Yeah. Got that right," Howlett said, taking a pull on his cigar. "Two World Wars…I was at Nagasaki in a POW camp when the bomb was dropped. So what reason do I have to join your little…menagerie?"

"…How about experience?" Raven asked, trying not to grimace at the smoke. "You've lived for a long time, and have probably forgotten more about combat, armed and unarmed, than anyone living today. The others being recruited are civilians. We don't want you to turn them into soldiers, just teach them how to defend themselves. I could probably do with some lessons myself."

Howlett nodded, but he didn't seem convinced, not wholly. "I ain't much of a teacher. I don't have the patience for it. You don't want me for my teaching skills. You want me because I'm the best at what I do. And what I do…ain't very nice."

"True," Harry said. "Charles…like I said, he's an optimist. He thinks he can change the world with good intentions, but, well, you know what the road to hell is paved with. We want your help in case it comes to saving the world."

"And before you ask, we're serious. Deadly so," Raven said. "It may not come to saving the world, but when Shaw seems to be manipulating where American missiles are being placed…so we need someone seasoned in combat. He may not look it, but Harry is a seasoned fighter, but mostly using his powers."

Harry, after some thought, took out a blank business card, used the Portkey charm on it, and handed it to Howlett. "You don't have to accept right away. If you decide to accept, just hold that card in your hand, and say, ' _a wizard did it_ '. It'll basically whisk you to our location very quickly. Just some fair warning, it'll be extremely uncomfortable. Otherwise, burn it or something."

Howlett took the card with a bit of wariness, before he pocketed it. "Okay, I'll think about it…"

* * *

Harry and Raven got back to Division X shortly thereafter, having taken a Portkey Harry had formulated to get there. Raven grimaced, looking like she wanted to empty her stomach, her blonde human form shifting uneasily to her standard blue-skinned form. "Okay…let's only do that again if it's a choice between holding down my lunch, and saving my life."

"That's fine. Actually, I'll have to talk to Singer, give him and his agents Portkeys for emergencies," Harry mused, even as he tried to resettle his stomach. "With that Azazel guy being able to teleport, they might need a means to get to a safe location quickly."

"We'll do that later," Raven said, looking over at a lounge area, where Charles and Erik were waiting with a group of people. Charles spotted them, and gestured through the window for them to come in. They needed to go via a couple of corridors, but still, they made good time. Sean Cassidy was already present, along with a few others: two young men and a young woman. One of the young men was a blonde Caucasian with blonde hair and a vaguely jock-like mentality. The other young man was slender and dark-skinned, while the woman was also dark-skinned, with what looked like tattoos of insect wings on her shoulders, arms and back.

"Ah, Harry," Charles said. "Any luck with Mr Howlett?"

"Gave him a Portkey in case he said yes, but it might be some time before…"

Harry was interrupted by a sudden blur of speed that caused a massive blast of air to rip through the room, along with a yell of surprise. The form moving tumbled through the room and ended up sprawled, upside down, against the nearby wall, glowering at Harry.

Harry looked at the glaring James Howlett and shrugged unrepentantly. "I did warn you it was uncomfortable."

With a distinctive ' _snikt!_ ' sound, a single bone claw popped itself from between the knuckles of his right hand. It was clear that James Howlett was flipping Harry off, and in a novel way…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, another divergence from the film. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Division X has Wolverine! Even if his entrance was…well, a little undignified. Doubtless you guys will see this as this fic either being awesome, or jumping the shark. In the case of the latter, remember who the author of this fic is. Hint:** ** _it's not you_** **.**

 **whitetigerwolf actually advised against this originally, but to be honest, the appeal of having Wolverine in the events of** ** _First Class_** **was just too great to ignore. It's partly curiosity that had Wolverine accepting the offer. And remember, this is a pre-Weapon X Wolverine.**

 **Review-answering time!** **bigfan22** **: Actually, yes, Kurt (I will be using his canon first name) will have magic.**

 **DZ2** **: You have a point. He's far from the more serene and diplomatic character Patrick Stewart portrays in the original films.**

 **myafroatemydog** **: Yes, though it's closer to magical Apparition as opposed to the classic 'BAMF!' teleportation.**

 **Guest** **(regarding Erik being more like Grindlewald than Voldemort): Maybe, but Harry is more familiar with Voldemort than Grindlewald, and he sees elements of the former in Erik, particularly how he acted when young.**

 **MorphCross** **: Harry and Raven, after the initial shock, raise Kurt with care and diligence. Thanks to Harry's spells, Kurt can pass for human…he gets an Azazel-like tail, but because he has some latent Metamorphmagus (and his mother's own talent) abilities that go wrong while he's experimenting with them.**

 **Star1X** **: Yes, Hank turning into the Beast will still happen…but because Harry and Raven are with him when it happens, as they are acting as his lab assistants, they are there to reassure him and allow him to come to grips with his transformation sooner. So while he'll still end up as the Beast, Hank will be less psychologically traumatised. Though he probably still will choke Erik for Erik's rather tactless remark.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	7. Chapter 6: Powers and Pseudonyms

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **POWERS AND PSEUDONYMS**

"We should have codenames," Raven declared as they sat in the lounge around a table. It was almost a party of sorts in the lounge, with Howlett effectively acting as chaperone, even though Harry and Raven were there. And there was no alcohol, to the irritation of some present. Charles and Erik were discussing something with Moira. "I mean, we're pretty much government agents, so we need codenames."

Howlett scoffed. "You've been reading too many cheap thrillers, Raven."

"Just call me…Mystique," Raven declared. "That's what I want to be called."

"Damn!" Cassidy exclaimed in annoyance, holding a glass of Coke. "I wanted to be called Mystique!"

Raven, who was in her blue-skinned form, shifted into Cassidy's form, and smirked. Cassidy recoiled in shock. "Sorry, I called it already," Raven said. "And I'm way more mysterious than you."

Applause echoed through the room as the others applauded Raven's shapeshifting. Howlett and Harry were the only ones who didn't, albeit for differing reasons. Well, Angel wasn't either, but she was laughing. As Raven changed back to her default form, she asked, "So…Darwin, what about you?"

She was referring to the dark-skinned slender man, Armando Muñoz. "Well, 'Darwin' is already a nickname, and, well, you know, it kinda fits. Adapt to survive and all."

Harry and Raven had been briefed about the various powers of the others that Charles and Erik had recruited, but they still watched with interest as Darwin went over to a nearby fishtank, and shoved his head into it, gills growing along his jaw and temple, allowing him to breathe the water. Once more, a round of applause went around, with even Howlett looking impressed. "Neat trick, Darwin. Any good for more than just growing gills?"

"Hell yeah," Armando said with a grin after pulling his head out of the fishtank. "But what about you? What's your thing?"

Howlett smirked. "Kids…" However, he then clenched his fists, and a trio of claws slid out between his knuckles with a _snikt!_ "Plus, I heal pretty fast. Haven't thought of a codename, though."

"How about…the Wolverine!" the blonde-haired Alex Summers said.

"…What the actual fuck is a wolverine?" Harry asked. "Is that like…a wolf cub or something?"

"No, Harry, it's like a small bear. I think it's a relative of the badger and weasel," Raven said. "It's also pretty fierce. They've killed prey larger than itself."

"…Wolverine…huh…I think I like that," Howlett said, nodding. He looked at Cassidy. "Okay, your turn."

"Well, I'm going to be…Banshee."

"Why do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?" Hank asked.

"Actually, aren't they one of the Fair Folk?" Harry pointed out.

Cassidy shrugged, before standing, and facing the window. "You might want to cover your ears," he warned, and most of those present did so. He knelt down, and seemed about to blow at the glasses on the table. However, he emitted a high-pitched noise…that caused the nearby window to instantly shatter.

As Harry prepared to fix it, Raven said, "Don't repair it yet, Harry. So…your turn, wasn't it, Angel?"

The dark-skinned woman nodded. "It's actually my stage name. But…" She took off her jacket, revealing the tattoos…which unfolded into insect-like wings.

"Wow, you can fly?" Raven asked.

Angel nodded, before she said, "And also…" She looked at the statue in the courtyard beyond the ruined window, and spat something yellow and glowing that hit the head of the statue. Smoke wafted from the statue, and part of it melted. As she put her jacket on, she looked at Hank. "So, what's your codename?"

"How about Bigfoot?" Alex jeered, only to flinch back when Harry and Raven glared at him.

"Piss off," Harry snapped as Hank grimaced at the reminder of his feet. "He doesn't like people drawing attention to his feet."

"Anyway, you know what they say about guys with big feet," Raven said, before making a conspicuous look at Alex's own. "And, well, yours are pretty small."

Alex took that in his stride, to his credit. Harry snapped his fingers. "Brains! How about that as a name for now, until we can think of something better?"

Hank shrugged, though he looked a little uncomfortable. "So, what about you?" Alex asked.

"Oh, like Raven, I've already got one thought out. It took a long time, though. With the powers I have, most of you might call me Merlin or Gandalf. I've got more of a variety of them. But…well, let's just say I decided on the name Revenant. Like Howlett there, I don't die easily."

"The fuck's a revenant?" Alex asked.

"A zombie or a ghost, something that's come back from the dead," Hank said.

"Let's just say that you should be thankful if you never see me use it," Harry said. "It's unpleasant to watch, and even more so to experience."

Howlett nodded, shooting Harry a look of…well, something like sympathy and perhaps camaraderie. "So what actual powers do you have?" Alex pressed.

Harry waved a hand, and the window and the statue repaired themselves. He then turned Alex into a clown, complete with makeup, wig, nose…and big shoes. "Alakazam, jackass(1)."

Alex did a double take upon seeing what he was wearing, and yelped. "What the hell? Hey, I didn't join this circus to become Bozo the bloody Clown!"

Harry snorted, changing him back. "Hey, you wanted to see my tricks. So, what can you do?"

Alex, after a moment, said, "Can you make that glass go away again?"

Harry nodded, and Vanished it, temporarily. Alex stepped through, and warned the others to stay back. Keeping up a Protego, Harry and the others watched as Alex began gathering crimson energy around himself, almost like hula hoops, and flung them at the statue, all but destroying it.

Harry whistled appreciatively, even as he repaired the statue. "Okay. That's both dangerous and awesome."

Of course, that was about the point that Moira, Charles and Erik came back into the courtyard. The debris may have gone away, but there was still the smell of smoke, acrid and sharp, lingering in the air, clearly speaking to the shenanigans, and Charles, Erik, and particularly Moira were shooting questioning looks at Harry and Raven.

After a moment, Howlett remarked, "Can I stop playing babysitter yet?"

* * *

"We're going to be heading over to Russia tomorrow," Charles said to Raven and Harry in a meeting room later. "The CIA have received intelligence of Shaw meeting with a high-ranking Russian general. Like Hendry was with the government here, this general is influential enough within the Kremlin to be listened to when it comes to placing missiles. Erik and I will be the only two heading over there, I mean of our group. Harry, Raven, I want you two to guard the others, just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Raven asked.

"I'm worried that, if Shaw has contacts within the US government, he may have contacts within the CIA, and they may know at the very least about Division X and some of our activities. While Singer will be in charge, I'm leaving you two to watch over the others. In addition, we don't know Shaw's powers or even his agenda, and his followers may come here to eliminate any threats. I doubt they could kill you, Harry, but it's the others I am worried about."

"Charles, if Azazel is a teleporter, it means he can get in here," Harry said. "I don't know whether anti-Apparition or anti-Portkey wards can affect that. I'll be giving Singer and his men Portkeys, just in case. Apparently they have a bunker on-site, so if things really go south, they can evacuate there. I'll get some ready for the others, too."

"…I hope you're wrong. Still, if we can capture Shaw, we may be able to cut this madness off at the pass," Charles said.

"Still, do you think it's such a good idea to expose us, Charles?" Raven asked. "Can we really trust these guys? I mean, Singer's all right, I'll give you that, and Moira…well, she seems okay."

"She is more than okay," Charles replied rather defensively.

Raven raised what would have been on her human form an eyebrow. "…Are you sleeping with her?"

"No!" Charles protested a little too hastily.

"…So not yet. I've seen the way you look at her, Charles. If I didn't have Harry…well, I'd be a little jealous. But my point is, for every Moira and Singer, you have ten like Stryker. Is it any wonder why Hank wants to cure those feet of his? I mean, I don't actually want him to, but…normal humans fear us. Remember what you said in your presentation about humans supplanting Neanderthals? They know we represent the coming of a new species…they envy and fear our powers. I could walk into any secret facility wearing the body of anyone, a general or a janitor, and walk out with secret files. You could steal the secrets right out of someone's mind. McCarthy may be dead, but you can't tell me that these guys aren't paranoid enough to take some sort of pre-emptive action against us. Look at how they treat African-Americans and Native Americans, for Christ's sake! Who's to say they won't segregate us or put us on reservations, _at best_ , now that you've drawn attention to us?"

Charles looked at his adoptive sister in shock. After a moment, he looked to Harry. "Do you share this opinion, Harry?"

"I probably wouldn't have put it quite like that, but yes. Raven's being pessimistic…but I agree. I mean, we need to stop Shaw…but what happens afterwards?"

Charles looked at them both, before shaking his head. "Erik said something similar. He all but stated that this would end up being like the Holocaust. But…we do not live in the Third Reich. The United States is not without flaws, I know this, and neither is humanity. But you said, Harry, that Martin Luther King is an icon in your time, and even with some things not improving, others had improved. If we stop Shaw, then what will that do for the perception of Mutants? At the very least, it's a good start. We can worry about that later."

"Should I make up some Portkeys for you guys going over there?" Harry asked, changing the subject. "If Shaw turns out to not be there, or someone does attack this place, or the mission goes south…"

"I'll talk to Moira. A quick extraction from the USSR would be ideal under such circumstances," Charles said. "And Raven…thank you for being honest with me. I want you to be. I'd rather deal with honest, unpleasant truths than have to wonder what you're thinking and be tempted to read your mind to find out. You're _family_."

Raven nodded, then, abruptly, hugged her brother. "Charles…I'm not saying your principles are wrong. I want there to be peace between us and normal humans. But…good intentions only get you so far. I don't want any of us, especially the three of us, getting killed or shoved into some prison camp or forced back into hiding all because you were leading us blindly to such a fate. Things may get better…or Erik might be right, and a pogrom may be started against us. I'm _tired_ , Charles, tired of hiding myself, my true self."

"I know," Charles said quietly, returning the embrace. "I…I want there to be a world where the worst you have to put up with is stares and glares. I hope, one day, I can make it a reality…"

* * *

"He's still dreaming," Raven said, as she and Harry got ready for bed, the pair of them stripping down. Harry and Raven had managed to get private quarters for themselves, and while it wasn't exactly luxurious, they were able to have some privacy. "I mean…I'm glad he's not entirely blinded by his own dreams, and I think Erik is being alarmist…but Erik does have a point."

"Maybe…and I've heard a few bad things about this time…but I'm worried about Erik too. There's something…wrong about him. Have you seen the way he looks at normal humans? Even Moira and Singer?"

Raven nodded reluctantly. "You think he may turn on us?"

"It's more that I think he might turn on anyone who isn't a Mutant. I hope I'm just being paranoid. And even if I'm wrong, his obsession with avenging himself on Shaw is very real, and could be a liability. If he charges in while they're trying to get Shaw in Russia…"

"It'll be fine," Raven said, before pressing her lips to his own, ending the conversation. And he was reminded once more of how beautiful she was. True, it was a strange kind of beauty, with the blue scaly skin and the golden eyes, but he also thought that lent her an exotic air. He didn't care that many considered her a freak. He had been called that by the Dursleys for most of his childhood.

But even after they made love, and they were left with sleep beginning to claim them, Harry found himself staring at the ceiling. Something about Erik reminded him a little too much of Voldemort for his liking, that contempt for those he considered his lesser. Oh, he wasn't Voldemort just yet, the man was still human, still sane, still empathic…but there was something there. Harry was reminded of the memories Dumbledore showed him of a young Tom Riddle, and of what Riddle himself, the Diary version, showed him.

Could he shift Erik away from a path of darkness? He hoped so. Because he did not intend to let this world suffer someone like Voldemort. If he needed to…he would kill him.

No, best not to think of that for now. Best to figure out ways to deal with Shaw…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've had the Mutants discussing things, and Harry and Raven being concerned not only about their employers…but Erik. Oh dear. This'll be the last chapter for a wee while, too.**

 **Review-answering time! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the inclusion of Wolverine. While he may not be my personal favourite X-Man, he's definitely in the Top 3. And I derived him 'flipping the bird' from something similar he did in the first** ** _X-Men_** **film.**

 **Joe Lawyer** **: Harry and Raven will be leaving Xavier for their own group. They will still be on decent terms with Xavier, but doing stuff more like Raven did in** ** _Apocalypse_** **. And given how he has Raven avoid going to Magneto, it will cause a whole butterfly effect of changes, with the main upshot being that the events of** ** _Days of Future Past_** **never take place.**

 **Have a Little Feith** **: I am somewhat aware of** ** _My Hero Academia_** **, having read the first volume of the manga (and I've actually written a couple of chapters of a crossover with** ** _Girl Genius_** **called** ** _Mad Scientists Can Be Heroes Too!_** **See the relevant chapters in** ** _Quatermass' Compost Heap_** **for said chapters). All Might does make me cringe a little, but I actually have a lot more hate for Bakugo, given that he's a bullying little shit who needs to die a slow painful death.**

 **Jonn Wolfe** **: Sadly, not what I have in mind. I haven't watched** ** _X-Men Origins: Wolverine_** **, so I don't know enough about what Sabretooth was like at the time.**

 **AJ** **: I might have Harry call him out on this, but keep in mind that Magneto is a raging hypocrite. He may not be quite as genocidal as Shaw is, and Harry's comparisons to Voldemort may not be wholly accurate, but remember, this is someone who went through the Holocaust, and yet looks upon normal humans with the same contempt many anti-Semites look upon Jews. Plus, there's the hypocrisy that Wolverine calls him out on in the first film, how he's willing to sacrifice Rogue to convert humans into Mutants with that lethal machine instead of himself. He'd probably try to kill Harry for that.**

 **Otsutsuki no Yami** **: Rest assured, I intend to keep Darwin alive.**

 **DZ2** **: And he uses it in the films, apparently.**

 **1\. I pinched this bit of dialogue from an episode of** ** _Castle_** **, where Beckett and Castle go to bring in a magician for questioning. The magician says, "Abracadabra", and disappears in a puff of smoke, but an unfazed Beckett opens up the box he was standing on, and hauls him out, saying, "Alakazam, jackass."**


	8. Chapter 7: Shaw Attacks

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **SHAW ATTACKS**

Charles and Erik, along with Moira, had headed to Russia a couple of days back. Harry and Raven had approached Howlett to give them some training, and he agreed (the others demurred for the most part, with Hank working in his laboratory, and the others doing general exercises). After seeing them in action against him in a training room in the basement of the facility (and shaking off the Stunner Harry managed to catch him with), Howlett nodded approvingly. "Okay, I thought I was going to be working from scratch here. But you two…well, I'm actually impressed, a little. For civilians with little formal training, you handle combat pretty well."

"Really?" Raven asked, surprised.

"Hmm," Howlett nodded. "Now, you're self-taught, Raven, I can tell. You move like a high school gymnast. Flashy, and it'd disorient a less-experienced enemy, I'll give you that. But your actual combat techniques are sloppy. That's down to being self-taught. You fight dirty, though, and in real combat, you need to. Your combat style seemed to emphasize kicking. You ever study capoeira? Savate?"

"No. I've heard of savate, but not Capoeira," Raven said.

"Capoeira's a Brazilian martial art, like a dance. We'll see if Singer's got someone who knows about those on his training staff." Howlett turned to Harry. "Now, you tend to attack from a distance with those spells, as you call them, and use that teleportation thing to try and blindside me. That's good, but you get too predictable about where you teleport to, trying to hit me from behind, and your teleportation makes a noise more often than not. And when I closed the distance…well, bluntly, your hand-to-hand skills are shit. You can throw a punch and take a punch pretty damn well, true, but you've got fuck-all technique where melee combat's concerned, bub." He rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. "Still, you mix up those spells, so the actual ones you use ain't predictable. And you try to finish the fight as soon as you can. You move like you've been in a war, kid, more so than your fiancée. So, what's the story?"

Harry glanced at Raven, before shrugging, and said, "I got involved in a wizarding civil war and had to fight a man who wanted me dead since the day I was born. And I was holding back then, at least as far as the spells I use are concerned. Healing factor or not, I'd prefer not to use lethal spells against my allies."

"What about your enemies?" Howlett asked.

"…Let's just say that, after a certain point, I stopped holding back." A training dummy was set up nearby, and Harry suddenly slashed his wand at it. "SECTUMSEMPRA!" he roared, and the arms and head fell off. "FIENDFYRE!" A blast of diabolical fire reduced the rest of it into cinders. "Healing factor or not, that's going to be hard to deal with," he said. "Hard to control, though."

"Right, so you save that for when things are desperate," Howlett said. "Still…I could see it in your eyes, kid. I've seen that look way too many times. You ain't green, far from it." The older Mutant frowned thoughtfully, before turning back to Raven. "Speaking of green, can you shift that skin of yours to basically do camouflage patterns? And could you do so on the fly, shifting to match the background?"

"I'm not good enough to appear invisible," Raven said.

"Invisible ain't the point I'm making, Raven," Howlett said. "I'll see if Singer's got any books on camo techniques. My point is, if you change your colouration on the fly to match the background, even in combat, it might prevent your enemies from getting a proper bead on you." He looked at Harry. "And your magic tricks could help with that too. For hand to hand…I'll have to try a few things, see what suits you. There's this Israeli martial art called Krav Maga, and there's the Close Quarters Combat System or Defendu…anyway, I'd better think about this. Of course, getting those kids upstairs to fight properly is gonna be a task and a half. They can't rely on just those powers. That Lensherr guy…he's got combat skills himself, I can tell. The way he moves, the awareness he shows…then again, considering that he's been huntin' Nazis from what you told me…"

"He worries me," Harry said bluntly. "The way he acts…I'm not sure he feels like this the way he wants things to go."

"Yeah, I hear you. I see people like that all the time. Chuck's got either his most ardent follower…or he's gonna have a problem. Don't get me wrong, Chuck's a dreamer, though I think you two know this as well. He's got his head way up in the clouds. But…I'd rather try to get some peace made than a war started. I've lived through enough wars in my lifetime…"

* * *

Later on, in the lounge the Mutants had claimed as their own, Alex and Armando were taking turns on the pinball machine. The others were either reading or socialising, until a pair of agents walked over to the observation window, and made some disparaging remarks, especially to Angel, calling on her to show off her wings, and Hank to show off his feet. Hank stormed over to the switch controlling the windows and activated it, causing the curtains to slide shut. "It's one thing to have men gawp at me like a side of meat while I'm on the job," Angel said with disgust and contempt. "It's another to have them looking at me like I belong in a circus freakshow."

"I know that feeling," Raven said quietly, indicating the window. "People like them were the reason I couldn't go to school as a child, not until Charles found me."

"Better get used to it," Howlett said as he drank from a bottle of beer. "I ain't saying it's right, Angel, only that it's a fact of the world. Humans, Mutant or not, will always find some stupid way to look down on someone else. I fought in the American Civil War. Even after all that shit finished, segregation's still a thing. I don't think racists are ever gonna go away." Suddenly, he stiffened. "…Quiet a moment," he hissed.

And that's when they heard it. Quiet noises…one being a sort of brief whoosh of air displacement…and another being a forceful thud. And then, yells of panic. Hank opened up the curtains in time to see a body drop from the sky with a scream…only to smash into the ground. They then saw one guard get snatched up by a red-skinned figure with a devilish tail who appeared in a puff of crimson smoke, and then vanished with the guard in tow.

"Shit, Azazel! It must be him!" Harry snarled. Suddenly, a loud roaring noise caught their attention, and they watched as a tornado tore into the Cerebro structure, scattering the remnants of the building everywhere.

What followed next was utter pandemonium. Harry saw Azazel attacking the agents who had scurried to the square their lounge looked out on, only for Azazel to expertly attack them. Harry, once the glass had been shattered, had tried to help by firing off Stunners (hoping beyond hope that they could capture this bastard, and knowing his spells, if they missed the teleporter, would not kill the agents), but it did little. A massive explosion rocked the facility, coming from the foyer. Howlett leapt out of the lounge at Azazel, who merely teleported out of the way, playing matador to Howlett's bull, though Howlett was considerably more cannier than a bull, and managed to tag the red-skinned teleporter a few times before Azazel tired of the game, grabbed Howlett, and then dropped him from a height like he had some of the other agents. Howlett hit the ground with a sickening crack, his head bursting open…but his movements showed he was still alive. Azazel then buried a knife in Howlett's heart.

Soon afterwards, the panicking group of Mutants heard a guard tell someone where they were, and to let the normal people go…with an ominous crack silencing the man. Azazel entered through one window, and Riptide, having blown out the other, clambered in through that one. Through the door came a man in an immaculate suit, with features that looked uncannily like Kevin Bacon, albeit wearing a strange metallic helmet. On his look, Azazel said, his voice having a Russian accent, "The telepath is not here."

"Well, that's one good thing, I guess," the man said, removing the helmet. "I hate this damned thing. Now, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am Sebastian Shaw. And I am not here to hurt you."

Harry wanted nothing more than to fire a Killing Curse into this smug-looking fuck's face, but there were two main reasons for that. One, he might monologue and let slip some clues about his plans. Two, he didn't know what power this guy had, assuming he was a Mutant, and it might just give him an immunity, somehow, to magic.

However, Harry's eyes promised retribution when Shaw had Azazel kill another guard who had survived and was ordering Shaw to freeze. Shaw then said, "A revolution is coming, my dear friends. When humanity discovers what we are truly capable. And when that time comes, the choice will be whether to allow yourselves to be enslaved, or to rise up, and take your rightful place as rulers. You may make whatever choice you wish, though if you are not with us, you are, by definition, against us. You can stay, and fight a futile battle on behalf of those who hate you, fear you, and would exploit you, or come with me, and rule like kings…" He looked at Angel, and then held out his hand. "Or queens."

Harry, to his anger and astonishment, saw Angel take Shaw's hand with only a moment's hesitation. As she was led away, and the others protested, she said, "We don't belong here!"

"This man and his henchmen are murderers!" Harry snarled, barging past the others, and glaring at Angel. "Xenophobic murderers. By joining them, how different are you from the Ku Klux Klan, or the Nazis?"

Shaw scoffed quietly. "I am nothing like them," he said.

"Oh? I'm seeing history repeat itself…a traitor betraying friends to a murderer who, despite claiming to fight for the cause of the special, will kill anyone in his way, whether they be normal humans or not." Harry looked up at Shaw's eyes. "You are very like the man who murdered my parents, tried to kill me. You're nothing special, just another xenophobic lunatic, fleeing from a death, only to find that it's right in front of him." Suddenly, he sent out a wandless Banisher, sending Angel flying into Azazel's hands…but Shaw was unaffected, though he seemed to briefly split into multiple images.

Shaw blinked, and so did Harry, but the latter was on the draw faster, grabbing Shaw. He Apparated above the facility. "Let's see how you like a taste of your own henchman's medicine!" he snarled, before dropping Shaw, and Apparating back into the lounge.

Azazel might have rescued him, but Howlett had revived, and was currently attacking the teleporter once more. Shaw hit the ground, but instead of splattering, he once more seemed to split into multiple images of himself. He got up off the ground, dusting off his suit, peering at Harry with interest. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I'm just getting started," Harry snarled, before he gathered as much energy as he could. If he was lucky, this guy would die. Flinging his wand, he roared one of the curses he despised using. " **AVADA KEDAVRA!** "

It wasn't so much a jet of green light as a lightning bolt in verdant hues. It smashed into Shaw, sending him flying across the courtyard and crashing into the wall opposite. Harry Apparated across, intending to make sure (or was that make Shaw?) that Shaw was dead. Unfortunately, as he approached, Shaw got to his feet in a flash, and was gripping Harry by the throat. "That nearly did me in. Congratulations. But…I absorb energy, and whatever doesn't kill me only makes me _stronger._ But as for you, well, I'm afraid, given how troublesome you are, that you must die."

And then, suddenly, he was on fire, everything was burning _burning_ _ **burning**_ , and the last thing he could hear was Raven's screams echoing…

* * *

When he woke up, he was naked on a bed, only a bedsheet covering him. And Raven was next to him, her eyes puffy and bloodshot from crying. She noticed him waking up, and then slapped him. "Gah! What was that for, Raven?!"

"Shaw turned you into bloody _ashes!_ " Raven snapped. "I didn't know whether you could come back from that! I thought, for one horrible moment, that I'd lost you!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know he'd survive an overpowered Killing Curse?" Harry protested. "I only survived against it by a lot of luck and other people's prepwork!" Then, after a moment, he asked, "How many are dead?"

"None of us, thankfully. They cut their losses and left with Angel after your stupid little stunt, and Howlett was getting feral, and managed to get Azazel a few more times," Raven said. "But of the Division X people…Azazel got some of them using his teleporting trick, and only a few remembered to use their Portkeys while panicking. Singer survived, but most didn't. Others were killed by Shaw in the atrium when they opened fire on him using machine guns and rocket launchers: there's surveillance camera footage of him absorbing the energy from those, and then unleashing it as a blast of force that he used to kill his foes."

"Fuck…what a balls-up," Harry swore.

"I know." Raven then gently hugged him. "Harry, don't do something that stupid _ever again_."

"I can't make any promises, Raven."

"I'm serious!"

"So am I," Harry said, his weary emerald eyes meeting the golden ones of her natural form. "I'm the one more likely to come back from anything they hurl at me. I'm your first line of defence. If I'm not there to take a blow meant for you…well, I couldn't live on without you, the irony being that I'd have no say in the matter. And if I could get rid of someone like Shaw in a single stroke…"

"I know, but…it's hard watching you die, not knowing if you won't come back…in case something stops whatever brings you back," Raven said.

"…I'm sorry, Raven. I really am…"

* * *

It was later the next day that Charles, Erik and Moira came back, using the Portkey. They were briefed on what happened, and Charles made the decision to send the other Mutants back, only for Erik to intervene. Harry half-heard their discussion about Erik suggesting they avenge the fallen, and to bring an army of their own to bear against Shaw's. Charles, eventually, decided to accept this, before turning back. Noting the resolve on the faces of the others, he said, "We'll need somewhere to train."

"Where?" Hank asked. "I mean, even if they reopen Division X, it's not safe from Shaw. We have nowhere else to train."

Charles gave a knowing smile. "Actually, yes we do…"

* * *

"You know Charles," Erik said, "I'm not sure how you survived, living in such hardships."

The German-born Mutant's sardonic joke was made as he, along with the other Mutants and Moira, looked at the Xavier family's mansion, a vast manor house in Westchester County in New York. Harry had been there on a few occasions, when Charles and Raven went back here, and he knew Charles had fitted the mansion with a number of laboratories. There was even a communications dish on the edge of the grounds, about as large as some radio telescopes.

"I was there to help him endure it," Raven said with a smile. Harry knew that Raven had, indeed, lived there with Charles since a young age, after he caught her in the kitchen. Charles, far from being disturbed when he discovered her ability, had managed to persuade his parents to adopt her.

Still, what they learned on the way over was disturbing. Charles, Erik and Moira were able to get a hold of Emma Frost, and managed to learn what Shaw's plans were. Shaw was actually trying to cause the Cuban Missile Crisis, and intended to tip it over into a nuclear apocalypse. That way, anyone who had the capability of becoming a Mutant would have their mutation triggered, and humanity, if not wiped out, would be decimated.

Harry personally thought the plan even more insane than anything Voldemort could have cooked up. All of which meant that the stakes were higher than ever. They needed to get ready as soon as possible. The very future of humanity was at stake, and even the Mutants would not be safe, for Shaw made it clear that anyone who opposed him, even if they were a Mutant, would not be welcome.

But that was fine. Harry may not like the situation, but he was going to ensure Shaw was stopped. If he couldn't use magic, he'd have to find some other way…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Hoo boy. This chapter was a VERY long time coming, wasn't it? I'm sorry about that, but I lost my motivation and interest. I actually wrote the first 800 words or so, the scene where Wolverine, Harry and Raven have their training, but never got around to writing the next lot of words. Again, sorry about that, and I honestly have no idea when the next chapter will be coming out, though hopefully sooner rather than later.**

 **Also, it was my intention from the beginning to spare Armando by having Harry attack Shaw in Armando and Alex's place. It also served as a good means for Harry to find out about Shaw's energy absorption abilities. I think that most spells, even the Killing Curse, would only fuel Shaw, because most spells are energy blasts. The Cruciatus might work, Wingardium Leviosa might, but most spells, yeah, no sell. Hell, I think Shaw can no-sell Fiendfyre, given that explosives do shit-for-dick against him.**

 **Also, Harry, as you've noticed, is pissed with Angel, comparing her to Pettigrew, and while that might be a bit much, he doesn't really have time for traitors who ignore the fact that their new bosses, murdered people for little real reason.**

 **Review-answering time!** **DZ2** **: Harry views Charles as a somewhat more pragmatic Dumbledore in some regards. He likes Charles, but he's also annoyed at his naïveté. Harry and Raven basically act as Charles' Devil's Advocate.**

 **Harmonius Arkos Sloth** **: Yeah, the James Bond books are fairly bad with racism and misogyny, though they're also slightly more realistic with the spy work. Plus, there's some surprisingly strong female characters. Unfortunately, the attitudes towards other races and women…yeah. You're going to see a lot of stereotypes in** ** _Live and Let Die_** **and** ** _Dr No_** **in many regards, and Pussy Galore is meant to be a lesbian in the book of** ** _Goldfinger_** **, only to be 'cured' by Bond.**

 **DalkonCledwin** **: None of the** ** _Doctor Who_** **episodes were destroyed in a fire, not a single one anyway. Some film cans were probably thrown into a furnace, though. Also, Logan didn't actually get hit by the blast at ground zero. I think he got some horrible burns, and that was it.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


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